Nature-inspired millirobot goes through small spaces [VIDEO]

Metin Sitti, director of the Physical Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, and his team of scientists invented a magnetically controlled soft robot only 4mm in size, that can walk, crawl, or roll through uneven terrain, carry cargo, climb onto the water surface, and even swim in it. The inspiration comes from soft-bodied beetle larvae and caterpillars, and even jellyfishes posed as biological models. One day, this small-scale robot may enable targeted drug delivery or minimally invasive surgery, the researchers hope.